TROY, N.Y. – The Union College women's outdoor track & field team finished in sixth place at the RPI Under the Lights Invitational, held on Friday and Saturday at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Ned Harkness Field and Track.
 
The Garnet Chargers moved up from 11th to sixth on day two, ending the weekend with 26 points thanks to 12 season-best performances on Saturday. UAlbany took top honors with 285 points, followed by Rensselaer with 172 points.
 
First-year Eilis McKenna earned the team's lone win of the day in the unseeded portion of the 1,500 meters, besting 27 other runners with a season-best time of 5:03.57. Classmates Abbie Goodwin (5:22.23) and Josephine Withbroe (5:26.84) both posted season-best times in the event as well.
 
Junior Kat Doran added a top-two finish in the unseeded section of the 200-meter dash, crossing the line in 26.83 seconds. She also took fifth in the 100-meter dash prelims by finishing in 12.83 seconds, before a time of 12.98 seconds in the finals earned her sixth place overall.
 
Junior Ashley Sheldon started the day for Union by placing fifth in the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.24 seconds, then posted a new season-best for the second time on the day by running the finals in 15.18 seconds to take fifth again and also earn her a spot at the AARTFC Championships. Sheldon also earned a third-place finish in the high jump by clearing 1.53 meters.
 
First-year Kate Monaco earned the team's only conference-championship qualifier of the day in the 800 meters, completing the two laps in 2:24.77 to place sixth overall in the 33-runner field.
 
The 4x100 relay earned five points with a fourth-place finish as well, as the quartet of Sheldon, Doran, and first-years Kate Nielsen and Ava Gasson finished in 51.04 seconds.
 
Union will be back in action next Saturday at the Trinity (Conn.) Invitational.